


Agent Luna

by lillianfromaccounting



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: 3D printers are da bomb, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coulson is such a dad, F/M, Lola has a friend, SHIELD shenanigans, Steve needs someone to show him a good time, Where the hell is Bucky?, sunrises are better than sunsets, who runs that damn base anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 17:16:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4146027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillianfromaccounting/pseuds/lillianfromaccounting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After SHIELD falls to HYDRA, Coulson enlists the help of some Avengers to retrieve SHIELD artifacts around the world. Steve meets a new friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coulson Isn't Dead

**Author's Note:**

> This story is really just a huge set up for some other stories down the line. It's a bit on the dry side.

"Are you sure you get it?" Natasha asked. "You're not going to freak out?"

"I got it," Steve said. "He's alive."

Steve and Natasha walked into the war room where Phil Coulson was sitting at the head of the table. They each took a seat on either side of Clint Barton. Koenig walked up to the table and left badges for them.

“Thank you all for coming in to this secured location,” Coulson said. “As you know, SHIELD came under attack from HYDRA a few months ago. My team and I have made some progress in rebuilding. In the meantime, there are still threats out there, and today, we are asking for your help. Your skills will tremendously help us further our mission.”

“Which is?” asked Steve.

“To secure the safety of Earth,” Coulson replied.

“What do you need?” Natasha asked.

“We need you to retrieve some artifacts. Agent Lillian Luna will explain,” Coulson said, indicating towards the podium. Standing behind the podium was a woman wearing a grey dress suit that accentuated her curves. Her thick black horn rimmed glasses masked the fact that she wasn’t wearing any makeup, but Steve’s eyes couldn’t get past the piercing on her very full bottom lip.

Lillian swiped her tablet a few times and a world map came up on the projection screen.

“When HYDRA attacked us, they did their best to either usurp or destroy our assets, including but not limited to, monetary funds, weapons, artifacts, real estate, vehicles, weapons...you get the idea. While their efforts were great, they weren’t nearly as thorough as they might have hoped. We have about half a dozen remaining artifacts out there that need to be retrieved before HYDRA realizes that they don’t have them in their current inventory. It’s a matter of time. The three we need your help in retrieving are at these locations.” Three pulsing dots marked two locations in Nevada and one somewhere in Argentina.

“Who’s going to Vegas?” Clint laughed.

“Agent Romanoff,” Lillian replied. “You will be going to the Argentina-Chile border and Captain will be going to Area 51. There will be a debriefing on your respective projects before you each head out. They all require a short training session, which is currently being set up in the lab downstairs. Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, issues, or concerns.”

“Why does she get to go to Vegas? How are these assignments determined?” Clint asked.

“We would have sent you or the Captain, but frankly, I think she looks a lot better in spandex and lamé and would be less conspicuous than either of you. That and I already made her a costume. Refitting it for one of you would be a major pain," she replied.

"You couldn't find anyone else to do this?" Steve asked sarcastically.

"You come highly recommended,” Lillian replied. “Besides, it's not like you're doing anything else right now. Falcon had to go take care of some family stuff and you're out of leads to find Bucky anyway. This will take three days total including travel."

Steve glared at her at the mention of Bucky’s name.

“Thank you, Agent Luna,” Coulson said, “The current schedule for training and debriefing is as follows: Black Widow tomorrow, Hawkeye the day after, and Captain the day after that.” Coulson nodded and Lillian walked out the door.

“Why not start tonight?” Steve asked.

“Tonight, we feast,” Coulson replied. The Avengers stared blankly at him. "It's the first time my entire team is together for a while and we're all going on separate missions soon. With you joining the compound as our guests, I figured a Thanksgiving-esque family-style meal is in order."

Clint's eyes lit up, "Is LiLu cooking?"

"Of course Lillian is. I'd lose an eye if I tried to take cooking duties away from her," Coulson said.

"It's kind of fitting now that you're director of SHIELD," Clint said.


	2. We're All Searching for Bucky

Steve stared up at the ceiling. The digital clock on his nightstand said 2am. He had been tossing and turning for two hours. He got out of bed, threw on a t-shirt, sweat pants, and his hoodie. If he couldn’t sleep, maybe he could go for a run. He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going, but he was pretty certain he saw a gym earlier. He turned down the corner where he thought the gym was and he heard a clink from the other end of the hallway. He decided to investigate. Steve turned a corner and collided into someone. Papers and files flew into the air.

"Agent Luna? I'm sorry, I didn't know you were around the corner. Here, let me help you with those." Steve helped Lillian pick up the papers and files and caught a glimpse of some papers that read ‘Project Winter Soldier’. "What's this?"

"I am looking into leads for Bucky."

"Why?"

"Well, you're helping us out, so I figured we'd help you out."

Steve picked up half the files.

"Thanks," Lillian said as she juggled all the files, "Just place those on top here, please." The files were already up to her shoulders.

"Where are you going? I'll help you carry them there."

"Oh, you really don't have to, Captain, sir."

"I insist. And please, call me Steve."

"Yes, sir, Captain...Steve. I was headed to my...office. It's around the corner that way."

"After you," Steve said.

Lillian walked down several doors. She leaned her left hip against the sensor and the door opened. "You can drop the files on the couch right there. Thank you."

Steve looked around the room. There were bulletin boards full of what looked like open projects. A picture of the tesseract was at the top of one wall, with pictures of the Avengers beneath it. There was a small end table along that wall with a chessboard on it. There was a Japanese folding screen along another wall and Steve caught a glimpse of bedding behind it.

"Do you sleep here too?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, this is actually my bunk. It just doubles as my office. I don't usually get visitors. Thanks for helping me carry the files."

"So did you find anything on Bucky?"

"Nothing that you haven't seen already."

"Can I see what you have anyway?"

"Sure," Lillian flipped through the files. "Some of the papers might have gotten mixed up. It might take a little time to sort them out. I can bring them to you in the morning."

"I'll help."

Lillian started separating the papers into piles. "There's a letter and number code on the top right of each page. The ones with the same letter belong together. Then sort them by number to get the right order. This might take a while. There were over a thousand pages in those files.”

“Then the two of us working should make it go faster.”

“If you insist,” Lillian said. “Beer?”

“Sure,” Steve answered without looking up. He was busy sorting the piles of papers on the couch. Lillian cracked open two beers and left one on the chess table for him.

“What does the S.W. stand for on the bottom of these pages? They’re on a lot of the files,” Steve asked.

“That’s the initials of the agent gathering most of the intel for me,” Lillian said. “She was working out of D.C. but I haven’t heard from her in a few weeks.”

“Do you think she’s in trouble?”

“I don’t know. With the fall of SHIELD, it’s been hard to maintain constant contact with our agents. I’ll be right back,” Lillian said as she ducked behind the screen. When she came back out, she had changed into yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Her hair was down and she wasn’t wearing her glasses anymore. Steve almost didn’t recognize her. She picked up a stack of papers and began sorting. “Do you mind if I turn on some music?”

“Not at all,” Steve said.

Lillian placed a vinyl record on. Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie En Rose’ gently filled the room.  
_Des yeux qui font baisser les miens  
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche_

The record reached the end and static filled the room. Steve reached over to pick up the needle and knocked his beer over. It spilled all over Lillian’s hair and ran down her back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz today,” Steve apologized.

"At least none of it got on the files. I have to go change." She turned the shower on in the bathroom, ran behind the screen to grab some clothes, and ran back into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he heard the water turn off.

“Steve,” Lillian called from the bathroom, “can you do me a huge favor?”

“What do you need?”

“My towel is draping over the screen. Can you please hand it to me?”

“Sure,” Steve grabbed the towel and brought it over to the bathroom door. Lillian’s back faced the slightly ajar door and she reached out with her right arm. Steve caught a quick glimpse of the tattoos on her back.

“Thanks a million!” she said. A few minutes later, she walked out in shorts, a sleeveless shirt, and the towel wrapped around her head. Steve was still reading the files. “Do you need to get some sleep? The files will still be here tomorrow.”

“I’m not tired. I don’t need that much sleep. Didn’t you use to issue my paychecks? In accounting? What are you doing with training and these files with Bucky?" Steve asked.

"I still am in accounting," Lillian replied. "Accounting for SHIELD is more than just keeping track of the financials or cutting paychecks. The department used to keep track of all our assets, including live assets. We go out into the field just as often as everyone else, granted, we're usually not in as much danger. So we train, just like everyone else, just not as intensely." She took a sip of her beer. "I work with the Koenigs to keep this place functional, from maintaining the generators to buying toilet paper. Someone's gotta do it. I clean the common areas, mostly because I can't stand a mess. I make sure that the pantry is well stocked and I make sure we do it within budget. I guess I'm the resident housekeeper. Sometimes it feels like I'm watching after children too. Knowing that you guys were coming, I made sure to stock Clint's favorite beer from Belgium, Natasha's favorite yogurt from this small hole in the wall place in Greece, and I don't know what your guilty pleasure food or drink is, but I'm sure I can either find it or rock your taste buds with a modern version." Lillian resumed her seat on the floor and continued sorting.

"Those Brussels sprouts! I didn't know they could taste like that. That was a superb thanksgiving meal," he looked up. He noticed that her clothes hid all evidence of the tattoos, without being conspicuous.

"Thanks. Food research has come a long way since the 40s. We also have new ways to cook things," she said without looking up.

"Apparently," he replied.

"How long have you been on the road?" she asked.

"About a year? Something like that."

"Any foods or drink that you miss?"

"No, I don't think I've ever given it much thought. Some days, I forget to eat. If it wasn’t for Sam, I might have starved to death by now."

"What's was your favorite food that you've had in the last year?"

"It was in eastern Europe. There was this little shop and the food tasted exactly like I remember, from the war."

"That's awesome. It's nice to get comfort food, especially if it's exactly like you remember it."

"What about you? What's your comfort food?"

“Anything New York. Pizza, bagels with lox, dirty water dogs with ketchup, mustard, and sauerkraut…oh, and trefoils. Most people like thin mints. I prefer the shortbread. I’ve tried many times to recreate them, but I just can’t seem to.”

“Girl Scout cookies? They’re still selling those?”

“Oh man, it gets a little crazy around here during girl scout cookie season. I basically order cases and it lasts us about six months. But yeah, I deal with stuff like that.”

"Do you ever want to do anything else?"

"No. I've tried my hand at other things and this is the place for me. This is as close to home as possible."

"Do you ever wonder about the future? Family, kids?"

"No, I gave up on that a long, long time ago. The battle of New York sealed the deal."

"So who's future are you fighting for?"

"Humanity."

Steve nodded. "Can I ask you something, if it's not too personal? It’s Lillian, right? Can I call you Lillian?”

“Yes, Captain Steve, and that wasn’t too personal,” she said.

“It’s just Steve, please. And that wasn’t my question,” he said.

“I know,” she said. “I’m snarky. You’ll have to get used to it.”

"The lip piercing," Steve said, "why?"

"Because...freedom. Because I can," Lillian replied, "Because I like the look. I like how it feels. It's my mini-rebellion to the conformity of society. And it usually scares away people I probably didn't want to talk to in the first place."

"And...the tattoos? Same reason?"

"No, the tats are a little more sentimental.” Lillian said. “Do you want to see?”

Steve didn’t know how to respond to that.

She pulled her shirt off, revealing a very low-cut tank top. Between her shoulder blades were three names: Coulson, Blake, Sunni. "These were for my SHIELD family that I had lost. Of course, I didn't know at that time that Coulson wasn’t quite dead and I wasn't about to get it removed when I found out he was still alive. It was still a very traumatic experience in my life. Three members of my team were HYDRA sleepers and they killed Blake and Sunni in the lab that day. I was lucky because I was out in the field with no supporting agents. I was so remote that I didn’t find out about the attack until the next day, when the news reported SHIELD attacking something.” She took another sip of her beer. “It’s really hard to wake up and find out that your whole world has been turned upside down,” she said. “You don’t know who to trust...you don’t even trust yourself. You want to go back to sleep in hopes that this is all just a bad dream and that all you need to do is wake up from it...”

Steve shot her a side glance.

“I know, I’m preaching to the choir,” she said. “It must have been really hard for you when you woke up after the ice.”

“How did you get back? How did you know what was a safe location to go to?” he asked.

“Like I said before, accounting kept track of everything. I had a high enough clearance that I was familiar with Director Fury’s accounts. I remembered some of the locations that were prepped with safe house type security but were never used as such. I went down a list and eventually, I found this one and I’ve been stationed here since.”

“Why should I believe anything you’re saying? How do I know you’re not HYDRA as well and you’re just sending us to our deaths?”

“Well, I guess you don’t. This one," she pointed to a small SHIELD logo over her heart, "is because SHIELD has always been my family. Coulson brought me in when I was very, very young. I was basically an orphan and for whatever reason, instead of leaving me to the system, Coulson arranged for me to be raised within SHIELD. He's the closest thing to a father I have and he’s protective like one too."

"He's one hell of a guy," Steve said.

"Yes," Lillian agreed, "So, I’m not going to try to persuade you to trust me. I only know what feels right, and I will follow Coulson and fight with him ‘til the end. I trust him. You could choose not to do the mission. It will suck for us, but if that’s what you believe to be right, then you have to do what’s right for you.”

Steve nodded, “Thank you. And thank you for sharing the stories behind the tattoos.”

“I have a couple more, but I don't think they're appropriate for showing," She went back to sorting.

Steve blushed.

"Do you mind if I ask you some personal questions? You don't have to answer if you don't want to," she asked.

"I guess it’s only fair."

"Were you aware that you were frozen during that whole time?"

"No. I was sure I was going to die when the plane hit the water. Then, I guess my body just went into some sort of a coma."

"How are you coping with being alive in ‘the future’?"

"One day at a time," he sighed as he came across a photo of Agent Peggy Carter in one of the files.

Lillian nodded, “She’s my hero. I interviewed her for my SHIELD graduation project. Her Alzheimer’s wasn’t that bad back then.” She noticed the solemn look on Steve’s face. “Did you want to get some sleep? You can keep reading tomorrow. The files will still be here.”

"I'm not tired," he said, “I don’t really get tired anymore.”

"Ok, well, I'm not superhuman like you are, and I need to take a nap. You are more than welcome to keep reading, but the content of those files absolutely can not leave this room. Wake me if need be," she said. She ducked behind the screen.


	3. Catching Up with Natasha

Lillian checked the clock on her nightstand and bolted out of bed.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Steve said. He was still reading on the couch.

"I have training with Natasha in half an hour," Lillian said as she pulled out an outfit for sparring. "She will kill me if I'm late. Possibly literally."

Lillian scrambled and got ready in fifteen minutes. She grabbed some file folders and an energy bar off her desk. “Those files can NOT leave this room. You can stay here as long as you want or come back later to study them. I will be in the training lab pretty much all day. The code to get in is 1874, like your birthday, year-year, month, date,” she said as she ran out of the room.

“Wait,” Steve called after her. “Can I come watch? The training?”

“Sure,” she yelled out without looking back. “We’re downstairs in the lab.”

At the training lab, Natasha was already on the tightrope.

"You're late, Lips," Natasha said.

"Nope, I'm two minutes early," Lillian said as she joined Natasha on the tightrope.

"So the goal is to knock you off?" Natasha asked.

"The goal is to take the baton and escape. Knocking me off helps, but it’s harder than it looks. I’m magnetized to the rope, plus I must have at least twenty pounds on you,” Lillian replied.

“At least,” Natasha said. “You should go easy on the booze.”

“Are you calling me fat?” Lillian retorted. “I haven’t had dessert in two months so I could fit into these damn training clothes. Really, you’d think they’d make it out of stretchier material. Or make them in bigger sizes. Size ten is a normal, average size.”

“You’re the one who brought up weight,” Natasha said as she took a swing at Lillian.

“I only have so much to live for nowadays,” Lillian replied as she deflected. “And damnit, if I’m going to be confined here for months at a time, I’m enjoying what I eat and drink, at the very least.” Natasha swung at her again. “I’m not looking to fight. Just steal the baton and try to throw me off the rope.”

“The people I’m going to deal with will probably fight back, so you might as well,” Natasha said. She dropped herself down to the rope and tried to swipe Lillian’s legs out. Lillian cartwheeled backwards and avoided Natasha.

"This looks like a circus,” Steve said as he walked onto the observation deck with two pumpernickel bagels with cream cheese, lox, and capers. He took a seat next to Clint.

"It's an acrobatic show. Have you heard of Cirque du Soleil? This is a bootleg version of that. The people who stole this artifact are using it as a prop in their show. Natasha will infiltrate the act to steal it back literally mid-air,” Clint replied.

“You’re just trying to get me to throw off my balance, which is exactly what will happen if I fight back,” Lillian said. Natasha bounced on the rope. “Oh, you can do better than that. I’ve got magnets on.”

“Are you going to eat all of that?” Clint pointed towards the food.

“Yes,” Steve retorted. “Get your own downstairs.”

“Who would you put money on?” Clint asked.

“Natasha,” Steve said without missing a beat.

“Really? I wouldn’t dismiss LiLu so quickly,” Clint said. “She’s a little firecracker, that one.”

“It sounds like you’ve worked with her before,” Steve said.

“She’s like a little sister,” Clint said. “I trained her. She grew up in SHIELD, fast-tracked through the academy. She never went to college, but that girl is like a human computer. She sifts through information like no one else. She’s feisty though and she was really angry as a child, so we had to channel that anger into something productive, so Coulson got me to train her.”

“Oh, come on, Lips,” Natasha taunted, “it’s been so long. Give me a good fight.”

“No. Just do your job and knock me off,” Lillian said. “This should be easy. I didn’t even have breakfast yet.”

“What were you doing last night that you missed breakfast?” Natasha asked, “And you showed up late this morning…”

“I was two minutes early,” Lillian retorted.

“Late for you,” Natasha said. “You’re hiding something.”

Coulson, Fitz, and Agent May walked into the observation deck.

Natasha grinned and attempted a roundhouse kick; Lillian ducked to avoid her kick but got up fast enough to push Natasha’s foot in the other direction, throwing off her balance and knocking Natasha off the line down to the net.

“Try again,” Lillian said.

“I see you’ve been training with Agent May. Oh, it’s on now!” Natasha said as she climbed back onto the tightrope. “So what’s new since the last time I saw you?”

“Time out,” Lillian said, “Computer, activate voice protocol two.” She got off the tightrope, took her glasses off, and then resumed her place back on the rope. “Time in.”

Natasha swung at her a few times and she deflected. Natasha did two roundhouse kicks, just missing Lillian's head, but the second kick nicked her hair and her bun fell out.

“She just went from sexy librarian to femme fatale in a matter of seconds,” Fitz mumbled in awe.

“So any new boys since I last saw you?” Natasha asked.

“Oh, you know the boys around these parts aren't for me,” Lillian replied.

“Why can’t we hear what they’re saying? What are they talking about?” Coulson asked.

“Girl talk,” May replied.

“You can read their lips from here?” Fitz asked.

“Yes, and trust me, you don't want to know what they're talking about,” May said.

“What about genius boy?” Natasha asked.

“Isn't he adorable? He's so cute, but he belongs with genius girl. I refer to them as one entity,” Lillian replied. She flashed a quick smile up to the observation lab.

“They're finally together?” Natasha said. She tried a left hook and missed.

“No, but they really just need to screw and get it over with,” Lillian said.

May laughed. Coulson, Clint, Fitz, and Steve gave her a confused look.

“Computer, volume on,” Coulson said.

“That’s not going to work, Coulson,” Lillian said.

“They can hear us but we can't hear them?! Who made this system?” Coulson said. He looked at Fitz and Fitz shrugged. Coulson gave him a look and Fitz scrambled to the controls.

“It's called the mute function...like on a telephone,” Lillian replied. Natasha got some good kicks in. Lillian had her arms up in defense, eventually dropping the baton. Natasha grabbed it and flipped backwards.

“I got it,” Natasha smiled.

“You have to keep it,” Lillian said as she charged Natasha. “So, what’s new with you?”

“I had to kiss this octogenarian for a cover,” Natasha replied as she flipped over Lillian.

“He’s technically a nonagenarian,” Lillian corrected. “How did that go?”

“He needs practice. Lots and lots of practice,” Natasha said.

“I’m not surprised. He’s still hung up on a girl from seventy years ago,” Lillian said, grabbing at Natasha, but missing.

“Is that the issue? I think he thinks you’re cute,” Natasha said as she climbed to the landing.

“Fitz, have you figured out how to override her mute command yet?” Coulson asked.

“Computer, override master protocol, authorization romeo two delta two,” Fitz said.

“No, he saw my tats last night. I don’t think he digs them,” Lillian replied as she chased after Natasha. Natasha looked over to the observation deck.

“Tats?! As in tattoos? Wait, where are they? If I haven’t seen them, then that means... And who’s this ‘he’ that she’s showing them to?” Coulson said. Steve avoided eye contact.

Natasha made it to the landing, “I think this counts as a win for me. Did he see all of them? Did you get any new ones since I last saw you?”

“No, he didn’t see all of them, and I did get a new one for my birthday this year,” Lillian replied. “I’ll show you later. Ok, you win. I’m done. I have to save my energy to set up for Clint’s training. I’ll leave the tightrope up so you can practice.” Lillian grabbed her glasses and walked out of the lab at the far entrance.

“Did you know about the tattoos?” Coulson asked the room. May and Clint nodded. Fitz was shaking his head no with eyes wide open. Steve, still avoiding eye contact, got up, picked up his plate of food, and walked out of the observation deck.


	4. Coulson is Such a Dad

Back at Lillian’s bunk, she changed into a loose t-shirt and tights. She grabbed ice pack wraps for her forearms and placed a larger wrap on her right shin. There was a knock at her door. She looked at the panel and saw Steve holding a plate of food.

“Let yourself in,” she shouted. She sat down at her desk and elevated her right leg.

Steve punched the code in and the door swooshed open.

“Your access code being my birthday. Was that on purpose?” Steve said.

“Coincidence,” Lillian replied without looking up. She was at her computer and was furiously scrolling through some documents. “I figured it was easier to tell you that than some obscure historical fact like how it was the year New York City annexed the Bronx.”

“Interesting. Hungry?” Steve offered her a plate.

“Oh yes, thank you,” Lillian took one of the bagels from him. “Beer?”

“Isn’t it a bit early?” Steve said.

“It’s called breakfast stout for a reason, and it’s almost noon,” Lillian replied. She took a huge bite out of the bagel. “Mmmmm, this is so good.”

“You might want to get checked out for alcoholism,” Steve said.

“I already know I’m an alcoholic,” she replied. She punched a number on her phone. It rang once.

“What?” a male voice answered on the other line.

“Just checking to see if you need anything,” Lillian responded.

“Nada. We are set,” the male voice replied.

“Ok, thanks,” Lillian said and hung up. “That was Koenig.”

Steve nodded in acknowledgement and plopped down on the couch. “I have about ten more files to go. I should be out of your way soon.”

“Take your time. I have to go set up Clint’s training in a little bit anyway,” Lillian responded without looking up. She took a sip from her mug. “It’s tea, by the way, earl grey. There’s a whole pot over there. Help yourself, if you want.”

“Can I watch that too?” Steve asked. “Hawkeye’s training?”

“Suit yourself,” Lillian replied.

“Coulson seemed pretty mad about your tattoos,” Steve said.

“He would be,” Lillian replied.

Coulson knocked on Lillian's door.

"Come in," Lillian said.

Steve got up, "I should go..."

"Captain? What are you doing here?" Coulson said.

"No, you stay and finish reading those files so I can get some sleep tonight," Lillian said.

"Are those Winter Soldier files?" Coulson asked. "They're classified!"

"I think Captain Steve has a high enough security clearance," Lillian retorted.

"You didn't ask for those files," Coulson said.

"I have the clearance," Lillian replied.

"But you didn't ask. And when did you get tattoos?" Coulson asked loudly.

"My first one? After New York," Lillian replied.

"First one?! How many do you have?!"

"Six, for now, but why does that matter?"

"It matters because...why didn't you tell me?! Everyone else seems to know about them. And what boy are you showing said tattoos to?!"

Steve hid behind a file folder.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this! I'm thirty years old! I don't appreciate being talked to like I'm seven. And my 'boy' interactions are none of your business!"

"It's my business when it's under my roof!"

"You're not my father! Leave me alone and go take care of Skye or something!"

"Is that what this is about? Are you jealous of Skye? I know I haven't been around a lot, but you didn't have to lash out like this."

"No, I'm not jealous of Skye! And I'm not lashing out. I got half of them before Skye was even around! This is ME!" Lillian pulled her t-shirt off. She turned around and pulled her hair up. "I got the first one after Loki killed you in New York. Numbers five and six are for Blake and Sunni." She turned around to face Coulson. "Second one. SHIELD logo." She pulled her tights down to expose her left hip. "Third. Cap’s shield to cover the scar from my RFID chip. Fourth." She pointed to her left rib. "Pi to thirty digits, for my thirtieth birthday. Not everyone knows about them. Clint and Natasha went with me to get my first one. May went with me to get my second and third ones. The Koenigs have seen them. FitzSimmons haven't. Skye hasn't. Ward never saw them. So no, not everyone else has seen them. I didn’t tell you because you never liked the lip piercing and you never accepted that this is not a phase. It is me." She picked up her t-shirt off the floor, grabbed the bagel, and walked out. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a training to set up."

"Young lady, don’t walk out on me, we're not done here!" Coulson shouted after her.

"When I was eighteen, I got my belly button pierced!" she yelled back.

Coulson looked at Steve, who shrugged and went back to his files.

At the lab, the 3-D printer was printing what looked like the side of a mountain.

Lillian was hitting a punching bag off to the side with bare fists. She kicked the bag a few times until it fell off the hook. “ARGH!” she yelled and walked away.


	5. Sunrise

Steve was wide awake again and it was 4am. He wanted to look at those Winter Soldier files again. He wondered if Lillian was awake. He wondered if he could just sneak in and read the files even if she was sleeping. He got up and went to the kitchen. He didn't see her at supper. He went through the fridge and found some cheesecake. "Not many things more New York than New York cheesecake," he said to himself. He cut a slice and put it on a plate. He found some berries and garnished the dessert. He grabbed a fork and went over to her bunk. He knocked lightly. No answer. He knocked again. No answer. Maybe she was asleep.

A low voice came over the loudspeaker, "She's not there. She's on the roof." Steve looked around for the source of the voice. A camera moved and pointed to a hatch in the ceiling down the hall. He walked towards the hatch. “Grab a glass,” Steve recognized the voice as Koenig, “and a warm blanket.” Steve obliged.

At the hatch, there was no ladder, but he was tall enough to pull himself up it. It led directly outside. It wasn’t apparent that he was on the roof. He walked around, following the curves of the structure, and eventually found himself on an open landing. Lillian was sitting near one of the turret-looking structures. She was holding a snifter glass and there was a bottle next to her. Steve cleared his throat and approached.

"This is where I hang out when I can't sleep. It has one of the best views of the sunrise in the entire complex," she said.

"May I join you?" Steve asked.

"Sure," Lillian slid closer to the wall and Steve took a seat next to her. "I see Koenig told you to bring your own glass. Whiskey?" she offered.

"Sure," Steve replied. Lillian poured him a generous serving. Steve noticed that the bottle was about a third done already and the foil was also sitting next to her. “I didn’t see you at supper, so I thought you might want some food.” He presented her with the cheesecake.

“Mmm, cheesecake,” Lillian said. “Thanks. You sure know the way to this girl’s heart. Bagels, cheesecake,” she laughed. “Mmm, the berries are a nice touch. Did you want some?”

“No, thanks,” he said. “I got it for you.”

“So, I’m guessing you want to look at the files again?” Lillian asked.

“Yeah. I knocked on your door and Koenig told me you were up here,” Steve replied.

“He means well,” she shivered and pulled her arms into her sweatshirt.

“I guess that’s what this is for,” Steve opened the blanket and draped it around her.

“Thanks,” she smiled.

“How long have you been up here?” Steve asked.

“About two hours,” Lillian replied. “It’s usually really quiet after 100 hours and I don’t risk running into anyone. Koenig knows I’m up here but most of the other agents don’t even know that there’s a hatch there to get to the roof.” She took another sip of the bourbon. “You don’t have to stay up here with me. You know the code to get into my bunk. Feel free to look at the files again. I don’t have to be there to babysit you.”

“I’d like to stay for this incredible sunrise, if you don’t mind,” Steve caught her eyes. “So you weren’t kidding about Coulson being protective towards you.”

“I was fourteen and he threatened my first kiss with a phaser. Granted, the guy was another agent and quite a bit older, but that’s Coulson,” she said. “I’d hate to think what he would have done to the guy I lost my virginity to.”

Steve took a gulp of the whiskey. “So, no boyfriends?”

“No, this lifestyle isn’t suitable for relationships. That and no guy would be able to find this place to pick me up for a date.”

“When was the last time you went on a date?”

“Years. What about you?”

“Last week, right outside Paris.”

“Ahh, Captain’s got game.”

"If you count sharing a coffee and croissant with Sam game, sure,” They laughed. “What do people do for dates nowadays? Do people still go dancing?"

"Yeah, sure. Depends on what you consider dancing, but yes, if you look hard enough, you'll still find dance halls like the kind you're thinking of."

"Would you ever want to go?"

"Dancing? Maybe under the right circumstances."

“With a man three times your age?” he raised his eyebrows.

“You’re not really three times my age. You were frozen for sixty-six years or so, so that really only makes you about twenty-nine for real. You’ve only had about twenty-nine years of life experience, so you’re about my age, maybe a little younger,” she said. She took another sip of whiskey and then laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"You don't remember, but we've danced before. The first time we met."

"The first time we met, you taught me how to get money out of a machine with a plastic card. You had short blue hair."

"No, that was the second time we met. The first time we met was at Tony Stark's new year's eve party a few years ago. It was at the tower. You showed up in your spiffy tux and white bow tie. Tony greeted you and walked you around, introducing you to everyone. I was already on the dance floor, making sure the music levels were okay, because I was the party coordinator that night, and Tony just goes 'hey L, you know Steve, right? You should dance.' He put my hand into yours and the band just started ‘Unforgettable’. You leaned in and whispered a preemptive apology for any future stepping of my feet, which you didn't do, by the way, for the few songs that we danced to. You smelled faintly of Old Spice, which was absolutely intoxicating...in a good way...in the way it makes a girl weak at the knees and forget who they are or where they’re at,” she sighed. “Then there was a small fire in the kitchen, so I had to excuse myself to deal with that."

Steve scrunched up his face.

"It's ok, I guess it wasn't as unforgettable as the song suggested," she said.

"Wait," Steve said. "You're Cinderella?”

She gave him a confused look.

“You had red hair. You were wearing this elegant blue lace dress with a high neckline and these ridiculously high blue sequined heels...I tried looking for you right before midnight and you were nowhere to be found. I saw the shoes by the grand piano at the end of the party. It was like Cinderella."

"The shoes were actually Pepper's," she said. “She told me to leave them there before I left.”

He picked up her hand left hand and intertwined it with his right, "Wow, you destroyed your hands. Does it hurt?"

"No, that’s what the whiskey’s for. You should see the other guy," she chuckled.

"I did; the gym needs a new bag," he said. "You didn't have the lip piercing that night."

"It comes out," she said, "Tony had a high society guest list that night…investors, fundraising, and all that jazz."

"I asked him about you, and he called you Elle," Steve said.

"Short for Lillian," she said.

"You looked so different," Steve said.

"Yeah, makeup can be pretty amazing," she said. "Why were you looking for me that night?"

Steve smiled and looked down towards the ground, "I was hoping you'd ring in the new year with me." He brought her hand up to his face and gently pressed his lips against her knuckles. He stared into her eyes. She tried to hide a smile.

“The sun’s almost up,” she said.

"That looks amazing. I didn’t realize there were mountains east of here,” Steve said.

"Best view in the entire complex. I still miss the view from the city, though,” she said. They sat there, hand in hand, in silence for a few more minutes as the sun crested the mountain range.

“We should go back inside before the others wake up. I'm sure I'm breaking more than one Coulson rule right now," she said.

Back inside, she closed the hatch. Steve walked her back to her bunk.

"Thanks for the company," she said. She leaned in on tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.” She walked into her room and closed the door behind her, leaving Steve in the hallway.


	6. Betty

Clint walked into the lab. Lillian resumed her usual look, with her hair pulled back into a bun and her glasses on. She was in her training gear. The final product of the 3-D printer was an obstacle course in the middle of the room resembling a slick granite wall with a cut out near the top.

“This is an emulation of one of the sides of Monte Fitz Roy. On one of the south faces, there’s a cave. We will do our best to drop you off to the closest landing, but the weather is fickle, so the closest landing might still be a half day’s climb. We’ve forged new grappling arrows for you that should help. Inside the cave is a set of human bones. There will be three femurs. Bring the one that doesn’t belong to the set back. Once you’ve retrieved the bone, activate your homing beacon and the jet will pick you up.”

“How will I know which one doesn’t belong?” Clint asked.

“You will know,” Lillian said. “The weather in that region tends towards wet.” Just then a jet of sprinklers aimed towards the rock face turned on. “You will possibly encounter mountain barons. They are usually skilled ninjas and will most positively attack you, so for this training, I’ve also enlisted Agent May.” Lillian got into a harness and climbed three quarters of the way up the rock face. Agent May was already harnessed in, at the top of the rock. “What are you waiting for?”

“I don’t get a harness?” Clint asked.

“You’re not going to have one on site, so why train with one? Plus, you have the grappling arrows that we custom built for you. Use those,” Lillian instructed. “And if you fall, the net will catch you. It is training, after all.”

Clint started to free-climb the rock face. At the halfway point, Lillian threw a rock in his direction.

“You have terrible aim,” Clint said. She threw another rock and it hit his quivers.

“If I wanted to hit you, I would have,” Lillian said, “this is just training after all.”

“Don’t go easy on me,” Clint said. Lillian threw another rock and it tapped him on the shoulder. “Oh, come on, you can do better than that,” Clint taunted. Lillian started throwing a slew of rocks at him, aimed towards his face. One hit him squarely on the forehead. “Now that’s more like it. Bring it!” In addition to rocks, Lillian started throwing daggers at him, then ninja stars.

Agent May repelled down and initiated hand to hand combat with him.

Steve and Natasha were watching the training from the observation deck. “Are those real knives?” Steve asked.

“Yep,” Natasha replied.

“The goal is for you to scale the rock and get to the cave,” Lillian reminded him. “Not just dodging the things I throw at you or fighting off the opposition.” Clint knocked Agent May off the rock and decided to try one of the new grappling arrows. He got it pretty close to the cave at the first shot. He started swinging on the rope, testing its strength and give. After two full swings, he was able to get enough momentum to get into the cave.

“Not bad,” Lillian said as she repelled down. “You can keep practicing if you want.”

“Nah, I think I’m good,” Clint said. As he was climbing down on the grappling rope, he lost his footing on the slippery granite. In an attempt to catch himself, he grabbed onto Lillian’s harness rope, which caused her to slam into the rock wall.

“WHAT THE HELL, BARTON!?” Lillian yelled out.

“Sorry,” Clint said, “my bad. It’s slippery up here.”

“Let go of my rope! You obviously need more practice with the wall,” Lillian demanded. “You have until 1800, at which point, I have to convert the lab to the next training module.”

“Maybe I should have worn cleats,” Clint thought out loud.

 

Steve walked by the lab, “You’re still here. I finished reading those Bucky files. Thanks again.”

“No problem. Least I could do. I’m almost done setting up the training for tomorrow. I have to check on one more thing. Do you want to see the car that you will be driving?” Lillian asked.

Steve and Lillian walked into the cargo area. On the far end was a 1967 black Corvette stingray convertible. "Meet Betty. She's not as flashy as most cars in her class, but she's extremely reliable. She will get the job done. She doesn't come with as many extras as Coulson's Lola, but she packs a few punches. She has some boosters," Lillian pointed to the extra control panel that was neatly tucked away under the radio. “And there’s a homing beacon built in. Heated seats, GPS, hidden cannons, what else…”

"How fast can she go?" Steve asked.

"She could go from zero to sixty in 4.7 seconds and has clocked in at 185 mph."

Steve was surprised, “You’ve driven her at 185?”

“Yes, once,” Lillian smiled. "Just, please be gentle with her. She is capable of those speeds, but it's been awhile since she's been taken out for a ride. Go slow with her and she'll be good to you."

"You're very attached to the car."

"She's my baby. I rebuilt her with Coulson."

"So it's your personal car."

"Yes, so please treat her well. I’ve had her for almost half my life."


	7. A Dance

Steve got back to his bunk and there was a suit, dress shoes, and a note that read "Training lab, 2100."

Steve walked into the training lab. The granite slab from earlier was gone. The door closed behind him and automatically bolted shut. The windows were all darkly tinted. The lights dimmed and were replaced by a myriad of smaller lights, like stars in the summer sky. Speakeasy music came on.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Lillian asked from the far side of the room. He couldn't see her, so he walked toward her voice. She was sitting on a stool at what looked like a bar, sipping an umbrella drink. "Don't worry, this is soda, but the bar is fully stocked." Her hair, curled now, framed her face and just barely reached her shoulders. Her fingernails were painted a dark shade of blue. The lip piercing was still there, but not as noticeable under the deep red lipstick. Steve thought she might also be wearing rouge. She was wearing the blue dress from the night they first met. He didn't notice the slit down the side of the dress the first time. She was also wearing those dangerous looking shoes.

"I thought you said the shoes belonged to Pepper Potts," he finally managed to say.

"The pair at the party, yes. I printed these out today and spray painted them. They actually fit a lot better since I formed them to my feet. Drink?"

Steve opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Water, got it," she said and hit a button on the tap to fill a glass behind the bar. She placed the glass on a coaster in front of the empty stool next to her. Steve chugged the water and placed the glass back on the coaster. "I guess you were thirsty."

The music changed.

_At last, my love has come along, my lonely days are over..._

"Would you like to dance?" she asked.

"I'd…be honored," he stammered. She took his hand and led him out to the middle of the dance floor. "So, what is all this?" he asked.

"You asked about dancing last night," she said, "I couldn’t find any dance halls nearby, so I figured I'd bring the dancing to you."

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"Very few," she said, "and even then, I'm sure I could look it up on the internet."

Steve noticed the contusion covering her entire upper left arm. “How’s your arm?”

"It's just a bruise. It will probably be gone in a week or so," she said. "Comes with the job. At least nothing's broken. I got it checked out. It looks worse than it actually is.”

"You are...amazing. I really mean it. And you didn't have to get all dolled up for me. I know it's not really your look."

"Oh, no, no, no. I got all dolled up for me. Sometimes, it feels good to get hit by the pretty stick and pretend I have somewhere nice to go, even if it took three hours to get ready and I didn’t really go anywhere."

"Well, tonight, we are going dancing."

 

Fitz and Simmons walked up to the lab doors. "It says it's closed for maintenance," Simmons said, “and it’s bolted shut. It’s in a protocol two lockdown.” Fitz checked the schedule.

"Oh, here it is. Lillian sent us a message earlier," Fitz said, "our experiment got pushed back to tomorrow afternoon, after Captain America’s training. Maybe she needed more time for setting up."

"Well, what are we to do now?" Simmons asked.

"Catan?" Fitz suggested.

 

Coulson walked into the security room, where May was on duty.

“What are you doing down here?” May asked.

“I need advice,” Coulson said.

“Apologize,” May said.

“I didn’t even tell you what it’s about yet,” Coulson said.

“Apologies usually work,” May said.

“Unless it’s you. You would just punch me,” Coulson said.

“Yes, but she wouldn’t punch you,” May replied. “She’s not really mad at you. She’s an adult. You need to treat her as such.”

“Sometimes, I still see her as that seven year-old we rescued all those years ago. I know she’s all grown up now, but she’s still our LiLu. Maybe it’s because we never had the rite of passage events, like a sweet sixteen, or prom, or college,” Coulson said.

“She tells me everything,” May said. “Because I don’t judge…out loud.”

“I don’t judge,” Coulson said, “I’m just protective.” He scans the monitors behind May. “What’s that in the lab?”

“Nothing to be concerned about,” May said.

“That’s…Is that...Captain?!” Coulson said.

“What are you going to do, get your shotgun?” May asked.

“Forget a shotgun, I still have the Destroyer!” Coulson said.

“And what are you going to do? Kill Captain America? Scare him away?” May said. “Let it go. They’re just dancing.”

“Dancing is like a gateway drug. It leads to...other things,” Coulson said.

“Ok, Reverend Shaw Moore,” May said.

“Is that a Footloose reference?!” Coulson asked indignantly. He sat down. “I just want her to be happy...and safe.”

“She will be fine,” May said.

 

“Hopefully, when you get back from this mission, I’ll have some solid leads on Bucky for you,” Lillian said.

“So these artifacts that we’re retrieving, what are they for exactly?” Steve asked.

“We recently found a blueprint of sorts for some alien communication devices. Before HYDRA struck, we were monitoring some activity on interstellar frequencies. It’s how we knew where to look for Thor’s hammer and such. We had found some of the artifacts before but we didn’t know what they were. Now that we know what they are, we’re collecting them,” she explained.

“So once you have all these puzzle pieces, you’ll be able to figure out how to communicate with these aliens?”

“We’ll be able to figure out how they do it, not necessarily do it ourselves,” Lillian replied. “It’s the first step. Then, we would probably try to reverse engineer the technology. It might even help us figure out how they get to Earth, and then maybe we can figure out how to get to their world.”

“This is different from how Thor travels back and forth?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. We know the technology is not Asgardian,” she replied. “That, we’ve confirmed.”

“So this could be pretty important.”

“We don’t call in the big guns for any random ol’ mission.”

“What would you do if we were busy?”

“It would take us probably a few months to collect the rest of them,” she said.

“Is there a rush to acquire these?”

“There might be some activity. I’m not 100% sure yet, but there seemed to have been enough chatter to get this project moving again,” she said.

 _Unforgettable, that’s what you are..._  
“Hey, it’s our song,” Steve said.

“We don’t have a song!” she laughed.

“I can’t believe I saw you every other week for over a year and I never realized you were the same girl from Tony’s party,” he said.

“I can’t believe you saw me every other week for over a year because I couldn’t convince you to sign up for direct deposit. Oh, the sorcery of automated banking!” she said.

“Did you ever consider that I didn't want direct deposit because it gave me an excuse to see you every other week?” he said.

She looked up into his bright blue eyes and gasped lightly.

_That’s why, darling, it’s incredible_

Steve pulled her in closer with his left hand. His right hand brushed a wisp of hair from her face, sending tingles down her spine. He lifted her chin and placed his lips ever so gently on hers. She closed her eyes; fireworks exploded all around her.

_That someone so unforgettable_

They kept swaying to the music. Her arms moved from his shoulders to around his neck, which was surprisingly sweaty. She ran her fingers through his soft blond hair. She always loved his hair, even though this was the first time she had actually touched it.

_Thinks that I am unforgettable, too_

He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her in so close that he felt her chest heaving against his with every breath. He reached down and lifted her whole body up. She wrapped her legs around him for better support, all the while keeping their lips locked.

The song ended after what seemed like hours. Lillian pulled away and took a few deep breaths.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, slightly out of breath himself.

“Yeah, I am more than okay” she laughed, “It’s just...Natasha was so wrong.”

“About?”

“She said you needed practice.”

“Did she? Well, I guess we should get practicing,” he ran one hand through her curls and caressed the back of her neck as he leaned in for another kiss.


	8. The Desk

"I thought training was at 9?" Coulson said.

"Lillian moved it to 10 this morning" Fitz replied.

"I guess the Captain got the memo too," Coulson grimaced.

"I guess so."

 

Steve woke up to the smell of bacon. Lillian was at the computer. "What time is it? Are we late for training?" he asked.

"I moved it an hour back. I got you some breakfast. You should get up though. We definitely need to make 1000. I have to hand the lab over to FitzSimmons by 1500," she said.

"Do you think five hours is enough?"

"I guess we'll see. I have faith in you." She walked over to the bed with the tray of breakfast and placed it on the end table.

Steve noticed that she had already showered and dressed. Her hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail. She was wearing a blue sleeveless turtleneck and some form fitting denim. Her glasses were hanging around her neck.

"You probably don't have to hide your tattoos anymore, now that everyone knows about them," Steve suggested.

"Oh, no, I'm hiding these," she pulled the turtleneck collar down and laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Steve said.

"Don't be," she said. She straddled him, caressed his face with both hands and planted a kiss. "Ok, time to get to work. I made you a new suit. It's a lighter, more breathable material. Moisture wicking, temperature regulating, snag resistant, better pocket designs, and a good deal of radiation proof. I wouldn't necessarily walk into a nuclear reactor meltdown, but this will protect you from a high gamma radiation environment for a few minutes, hopefully long enough for you to get out of that environment. There's a hidden hood zipped into the back of your shirt, for the part of your face that's normally not covered and if you ever lose your mask. I hope you never, ever have to use it...well, at least not for it's intended purpose. It makes a great rain hood too. Ok, I have to finish setting up your training. Don’t be late. I’ll meet you down at the lab." She gave him another kiss and got up and left the room.

When Steve walked into the lab, Lillian was already on the obstacle course. She was on the floor barefoot, doing some yoga stretches.

What was a rock wall yesterday is now several rows of desks. Steve had flashbacks of taking tests in high school. "I didn't bring any number two pencils," Steve said.

"It's a good thing it's not that type of test, then," Lillian smiled. “So you’re going to go through with the mission.”

“I’ve come to trust that it’s for a good cause,” he said.

"In Area 51, there are several buildings that are out of commission. SHIELD had an office there back in the 50s. There is still an artifact hidden in that office," Lillian explained.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"It's a cipher but it will look like a Victorian pill box," she replied, showing him a picture of it on the big screen.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, I guess,” Steve said.

“What are you afraid of?"

"I just think someone else might be better suited for this. Natasha usually does all the stealth stealing stuff. I'm a soldier."

"There's a possibility that you would have to fight some security there. We don't think HYDRA knows about this site, but they might surprise us. I'd bring the shield just in case. Here is a map of the entire facility,” a projected image of blueprints come up mid-air. “This is the building you need to get to. There are usually security points here and here. You should have no problem leaving a vehicle along this ridge and basically walking down the path of the pipes here. It’s not a highly guarded place. Once inside, you will have to make your way to the third floor. And this is how we’re going to get inside.” She walked up to the silo.

"You're wearing those?" Steve gestured to her flip flops.

"Yep," she replied, "It's not like there's going to be any combat."

"Well, that's no fun."

"You'd break me, so, no thanks. As if I’m not bruised enough from this week."

“I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“Not intentionally.” She started climbing up the side of it. "There are these grooves along the silo walls. They're a little hard to find, and not consistently placed." He followed her up the silo. Once they got to the top, there was a small conduit that she climbed into. "The conduit is probably big enough that you don't have to army crawl through the whole thing." She was able to crawl in on all fours. He followed suit. "There's only one path in the conduit, so you don't have to worry about getting lost." They got to the end of the conduit and she unhinged the vent door. She slid out feet first, and then dropped down. "It's a little bit of a drop," she warned. Steve dropped down with no issue. "Oh right, you're taller," she said. "This is the tenth and top floor. You will have to make your way down to the third floor. Everything is probably covered in decades' worth of dust. Try not to leave too many footprints or signs of disturbance." She started climbing the walls and walking along the edges. Steve noticed she barely left any trace. “There will be a cluster of desks, like in an office. You will want the center one, number forty-two.”

“Any significance to the number forty-two?” Steve asked.

“It’s the answer to life, the universe, and everything,” Lillian replied with a smile. Steve gave her a blank look. “You need to add Douglas Adams to your list. So, this desk is wired to explosives. Not this training one, but the real one. The way to get to the artifact requires you to activate the explosives and then deactivate them. To activate them," she crawled under the desk. Steve kneeled down to get a better view. "There is one screw towards the back here," her head lamp shone brightly at it. "And there is one other open thread about three inches in this direction. To activate the explosives, and to open the desk, you need to unscrew the screw and re-screw it back into the other thread. You will hear a click. Here, you try." She crawled back out so he could crawl in. He completed the task and there was an audible click.

"The desk is now active. Any wrong move and kaboom. You can come back out. The next step is crucial.” Lillian took Steve’s hand and placed it on the handle of the second drawer. "This is the tricky part,” she explained, “Pull the second drawer out just far enough so you can reach the bottom of the top drawer. Feel for the button and push it away from you. You should hear a second click. The desk should be disarmed now. The artifact should be inside the bottom drawer.”

“That didn’t seem so difficult,” Steve said.

“Ok, try it for yourself,” she let go of his hand. Steve reached into the drawer and couldn’t find the button, so he pulled the drawer out a little more. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP An alarm sounded with red flashing lights. “Kaboom,” Lillian said. She adjusted her glasses and the alarm turned off.

“Did you just...with your glasses?” Steve asked.

“Yes,” Lillian answered matter-of-factly. “These aren’t actually for vision. They control a lot of things around here. They can also be used for communications within the facility and give me the weather. Practice some more. Take it slow. All the desks here are for your training.”

“Who doled out the assignments?” Clint asked Coulson, “I have to free climb a granite slate and all he has to do is disable a bomb?!”

“You were better for the other assignment,” Coulson replied.


	9. Daddy Coulson & Farewells

“I think you outdid yourself with dinner tonight,” Steve said. They walked into Lillian’s room and plopped down on the couch.

“Thanks,” she replied. “What was your favorite dish?”

“The bourbon pecan pie, hands down,” Steve said. “I thought it was going to be too sweet, but it was just right.”

“The bourbon helps,” she said.

“Compliments to the chef,” he leaned in and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Oh! I want to show you something. I found another lead for Bucky,” she grabbed a file on top of her desk.

“How do you manage to keep all this information straight?” Steve asked, browsing through the file.

“It’s just what I do,” she replied. “It’s how my brain works, I guess.”

"We head out tomorrow," Steve said.

"Yes,” Lillian said.

“I was thinking,” Steve said, “would you want to watch the sunrise with me again? We could pack a breakfast picnic.”

“Sounds amazing,” she replied and wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

Lillian locked the hatch in the hallway and dropped down; Steve caught her.

“I should probably finish packing,” Steve said, putting her down on the floor.

“Probably,” she replied. “I’m going to go talk to Coulson. I’ll see you on the deck.”

 

Lillian knocked on Coulson’s office door.

“It’s open,” Coulson said.

"Good morning," Lillian greeted. "I made scones." She placed the platter on his desk.

"I see," Coulson said, "thank you."

"So you're heading out with the rest of them?"

"Yes. I'll be going to DC to meet with Talbot."

"Oh, have fun with that, I guess. Have a safe trip," she walked towards the door.

"Wait," Coulson said, "I'm sorry. I...overreacted."

"Ok. Apology accepted. I don't like disappointing you," Lillian said to Coulson.

"Why didn't you just tell me earlier?"

"Because I thought you died. And it freaked me out when you came back. And I didn't know what to think. And you never liked my lip piercing. I know you wouldn't approve of the ink."

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much since New York, and then this whole Hydra thing happened."

"I understand."

"So, belly button piercing?"

"I let it close a long time ago. It was really uncomfortable under ops clothes."

"Oh.” Coulson took a sip of coffee. “Anything else you want me to know about?"

"Do you think you can handle the truth?"

"I think I can."

"At fifteen, I took Lola out for a joyride."

"I knew about that. You reset the seat and you tried to reset the mirrors, but they were just a little bit off."

"At eighteen, I lost my virginity to the Starbucks barista on twenty-third street, the one you called a dirty hippie with no ambition."

"I figured that one was going to give me grief."

"It wasn't out of spite. He was really cute and charming."

"Any others?"

"That I want to share? Not really."

"Anyone...more recent?"

"Yeah..." she smiled, "You'd like him. A lot. He's the sweetest guy ever. A perfect gentleman. But there's no future with him, at least I don't expect any."

"Really?"

"Really. And it's no one's fault. It's just...life. It's...complicated."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Absolutely not! But thank you, for caring." She gave him a hug. "I’m glad we talked. Good luck out there."

"Thanks, I'll need it."

 

Lillian hugged Clint and Natasha right before they boarded the jet.

"So, when I get back from this mission," Steve said, "do you want to go on a real date, away from this complex? Maybe out for dinner? I have yet to try Thai food."

"We're not making any plans," Lillian said, "the last time you made plans before a big mission, you ended up frozen for almost seventy years. I am not taking that type of responsibility. We can make plans when you get back. Be good to Betty."

"I promise to take the best care of her and to bring her back to you unscathed," Steve said.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. I left some goodies for you in Betty’s hidden compartments.”

“Oh?”

“I hope you never need some of them, but there are some fun goodies.” She reached up and gave him a farewell kiss.

“I’ll see you in a few days,” Steve whispered.

“I’ll be here,” she said. “Good luck.” She watched as he boarded the jet and the hatch closed.


	10. Aliens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: This chapter/part of the story is related to another fic that will be posted at some indeterminable future.

Lillian walked into the war room, where Koenig was tracking all the active missions. She brought a plate of snacks.

"Anything new?" she asked.

"We just picked up Hawkeye. He is clear. Black Widow is en route. We lost Cap's signal last night, though."

"What do you mean we lost his signal? It's not a type of signal that gets lost. Have you tried Betty? Even the shield is chipped. His suit is chipped in three different places, and his mask is chipped separately. That's six different signals. None of them are registering?!"

"Nada."

"Why didn’t you wake me up?! What were the last coordinates?"

"It looked like he completed the mission, because it looked like he made it back to the car. He drove about ten miles north and then the signal gets zapped. There are some strange readings though."

"What about Coulson and team?"

"They're fine in DC."

Lillian took a seat and grabbed a computer. She pulled up all the data tracking Captain America.  
"Were there strange weather patterns patterns at Area 51 last night?" Lillian said aloud.

"No, there weren't," Koenig said, "I checked the weather reports. The radiation is isolated to where he disappeared."

"This activity...looks familiar..."

"Yes. Similar to the battle of New York."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'd hate to say it, but aliens."

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

“What’s next?” Koenig asked.

Lillian took her glasses off and put her head down onto the table. She took a deep breath. “We wait. We get the other two artifacts when Natasha and Clint come back and Skye, FitzSimmons, and I will try to crack it. We were close before. We have to figure out who and where.”

“I’ll call Coulson,” Koenig said. Lillian nodded.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for making it to the end! I hope you like it. This whole story is really a huge set up for some other stories.
> 
> Sequel: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4415231


End file.
